Showtime’s Advertising Experiment With The Kindle

This is probably a first as far as advertising with the Kindle is concerned. Showtime is offering users the chance to download the pilot script of its new series ‘Nurse Jackie‘ for free – the show will premiere on June 8th. The download, which will be available till August 31st of this year, will be advertised via banner ads on Amazon.com and Kindle storefronts and will include cover art, the title page and the show’s scheduling information. Media agency OMD, which is working with Showtime on this initiative, says that the lack of a proper advertising model for the Kindle didn’t faze them. Conversely, they saw it as an opportunity to use client content as advertising in itself. Jon Haber, Showtime’s Vice-President of Corporate PR, says that the channel tries to use a new platform every time they introduce a new show because being a subscription-based business, sampling is a key marketing activity for them. Different sampling techniques have been used for Showtime’s ‘Californication’, ‘The Tudors’ and ‘Fat Actress’.

“Nobody has figured out what the future ad model for a device like the Kindle is going to be,” OMD’s Mr. Haber said. “And while this is not an ad per se, it’s content, it is the first step in figuring out how marketers can use this platform and provide some value to consumers from a content standpoint while finding a way to raise awareness and buzz about a product, or in this case a TV show.”